In this tutorial, you will not only learn how to copy effects from one layer to another in Photoshop, but also how to copy just a single effect to another layer, and how to apply an effect to multiple layers in Photoshop. Basically all things about copying effects from one layer to another – let’s jump in!
How do you copy effects from one layer to another in Photoshop?
After my recent tutorial on how to apply a layer style to multiple layers in Photoshop, I’m today showing how to copy effects from one layer to another in Photoshop.
Photoshop’s effects and styles are a brilliant way to create different looks for text and other objects.
In this tutorial, I’ll be using some Glowing Neon Text Effects that I’ve created previously. If you like the effects, you can go ahead and download them for free in the Freebie Library.
So let’s say you’ve applied a whole range of complex effects to one layer in your Photoshop document. If you want to use the same effects on another layer, do you have to recreate the entire style all over again?
Or, let’s say you just want to copy one effect out of that long list to another layer, do you have to recreate that one effect again? No. It’s much simpler.
In this tutorial, I’ll show you how you can copy effects from one layer to another in Photoshop without having to recreate the effect again.
You’ll also learn how to copy a single effect to another layer in Photoshop, and how to apply an effect to multiple layers in Photoshop at the same time.
This will make your workflow so much faster and easier – so shall we jump in?
What you will learn in this Photoshop Layer Styles Tutorial:
How To Copy Effects From One Layer To Another In Photoshop
In the first part of this tutorial, I want to show you how to copy all effects from one layer to another in Photoshop.
Let’s say I’ve created a yellow neon style for the stars in my picture.
This style consists of altogether six effects. Now I want to copy all the 6 effects to the two arches above the stars.
STEP 1: Hold Option (Mac) / Alt (Win) on your keyboard
To copy all effects from one layer to another, press and hold the Option key on a Mac or the Alt key on a PC.
STEP 2: Drag & drop the word ‘Effects’ onto another layer in your Layers Panel
While holding Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows), click on the word “Effects” at the top of the list of all the effects that you’ve applied to a layer. Now drag the word “Effects” onto the other layer where you want to paste the effects.
Once you release the mouse button, you’ll see the entire list of effects copied to the new layer.
This is how easy it is to copy effects from one layer to another in Photoshop!
How to copy a single effect to another layer in Photoshop
After showing you how to copy all effects from one layer to another, I’m now going to show you how to copy just one effect to another layer in Photoshop.
Let’s say I’ve applied different neon colors to the text and shapes in my picture.
Now I want to copy only the yellow Color Overlay Effect from the stars to the two arches above.
STEP 1: Hold Option (Mac) / Alt (Win) on your keyboard
Again, you start by pressing and holding the Option key on a Mac or the Alt key on a PC.
STEP 2: Drag & drop the individual effect onto another layer in your Layers Panel
Instead of clicking on the word “Effects,” you now click directly on the effect you want to copy and drag it onto the layer where you want to paste it.
Once you release the mouse button, you’ll see the particular effect copied to the new layer.
Here I’m copying the yellow overlay color from one of the stars to the layer with the first arch, and from there to the layer with the second arch.
You can see that only the overlay color is changing, and not the original purple glow around the two arches.
How to apply an effect to multiple layers in Photoshop
In the last part of this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to copy effects to multiple layers in Photoshop.
In order to apply one or several effects to multiple layers at the same time, you must put those layers into a group. So let’s do that first.
To create a new group with several layers, click on the top layer, then press and hold the Shift key, and click on the bottom layer. This selects the first and the last layer, plus all layers in between.
There are two ways to create a new group from the selected layers.
Number 1, you can click on the Layers Panel Menu icon (the little arrow next to the four lines) in the top right corner of the layers panel.
From there, select ‘New Group from Layers‘ from the pop-up menu.
Way #2: Drag the selected layers down to the folder icon at the bottom of your Layers Panel.
This will create a new group from the layers, too.
You can type in a new name for the group, or just keep the default name.
For the example, I’ve already put my two arch shapes into a separate group called ‘Shapes’.
In the following steps, I’m going to show you how I copy all the effects from one of the stars to both arches at the same time.
After that, I show you that it’s also possible to copy just a single effect to multiple layers in one group.
STEP 1: Hold Option (Mac) / Alt (Win) on your keyboard
Again, you start by pressing and holding the Option key on a Mac or the Alt key on a PC.
STEP 2: Drag & drop the effects onto a group with multiple layers in your Layers Panel
To copy all the effects to multiple layers at the same time, click again on the word “Effects” and drag it directly onto the group, all while holding Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows).
Once you release the mouse button, you’ll see the entire list of effects pasted onto the group, and all layers within the group now have the same style.
To copy a single effect to multiple layers in Photoshop, all you need to do is click directly on the individual effect and drag it onto the group – again holding Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows).
Once you release the mouse, you’ll see only that specific effect pasted onto the group.
Grab your FREE Photoshop Neon Text Effect
Subscribe to get access to the Freebie Library and download the Glowing Neon Text Effects as Photoshop .PSD file and layer styles .ASL file!
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I hope that this tutorial on how to copy effects from one layer to another in Photoshop was helpful. If you found any value in it, please feel free to share it with other artists so they can also learn from it!
If you have any questions, let me know in the comments! Make sure to sign up for my email list below so you don’t miss out on new Photoshop tutorials, perks for subscribers and other cool stuff. ♥
Learn more about Photoshop layer styles:
- How To Create A Steel Effect In Photoshop – (FREE Steel Effect Download)
- How To Make A Realistic Water Drop In Photoshop – (+FREE Water Drop Effect Download)
- How To Make Water Bubbles In Photoshop (+FREE Bubble Effect Download!)
- How To Apply A Layer Style To Multiple Layers In Photoshop
- Layer Style Dialog Box In Photoshop – Understanding The Basics
